All you need to know about Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) 2024-25 | Squad, Schedule, Live Streaming

Australia’s home international cricket season for 2024-25 kicked off on September 19, with the all-conquering women’s team registering a confident win over arch-rivals New Zealand. With the domestic season now upon us, the spotlight turns to the 29th edition of the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL), set to begin on September 24. From squads and fixtures to broadcast details and format, including a brief tournament history, here’s everything you need to know about the One-Day competition.

History:

First played in the 1996-97 season, New South Wales claimed the championship in the final against Victoria and successfully defended their title for the next five seasons. Victoria, having made three final appearances by then, finally clinched their maiden title in the 2002-03 season. New South Wales regained their title the following season, with Victoria doing the same in 2004-05. New South Wales then showcased their dominance by breaking their own record with ten consecutive titles.

South Australia, the inaugural champions in 2015-16, halted New South Wales’ run, but New South Wales bounced back to complete a three-peat from 2016-17 to 2018-19. Western Australia won their first championship in 2019-20, followed by Queensland in 2020-21, and Tasmania in 2021-22, who also completed a three-peat and enter the 2024-25 season as the defending champions. With 20 championship wins in 28 seasons, the dominant New South Wales last reached the final in 2019-20.

2024-25 domestic season:

Ahead of the 2024-25 season, Cricket Australia announced changes to the women’s domestic program, including a reduction in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL)—the premier Twenty20 (T20) competition—and the introduction of a T20 Spring Challenge. This initiative aims to make up for the matches lost in the WBBL while maintaining opportunities for emerging talents.

The 29th edition of the WNCL will commence on September 24 and pause on October 7 for the T20 Spring Challenge, which starts on October 11. Following this, the landmark 10th WBBL will open on October 27, with the WNCL resuming on December 14 and the final scheduled for March 2.

Format:

The 2024-25 WNCL season will follow a double round-robin format, with each of the seven teams playing every other twice, totaling 12 games per team. The top two teams on the table will advance to the final.

WNCL squads:

Tasmania Tigers – Nicola Carey, Julia Cavanough, Maisy Gibson, Heather Graham, Ruth Johnston, Lizelle Lee, Emma Manix-Geeves, Tabatha Saville, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Lauren Smith, Naomi Stalenberg, Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman, Elyse Villani, Callie Wilson

New South Wales Breakers – Jade Allen, Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Lauren Cheatle, Sarah Coyte, Hannah Darlington, Sienna Eve, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Ebony Hoskin, Elsa Hunter, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Lauren Kua, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Claire Moore, Kate Pelle, Tahlia Wilson

Victoria – Sophie Day, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Poppy Gardner, Kim Garth, Hasrat Gill, Ella Hayward, Olivia Henry, Milly Illingworth, Meg Lanning, Rhys McKenna, Sophie Molineux, Sasha Moloney, Jasmine Nevins, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Prestwidge, Sophie Reid, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

South Australia Scorpions – Hollie Armitage, Jemma Barsby, Darcie Brown, Emma de Broughe, Josie Dooley, Emmerson Filsell, Paris Hall, Eleanor Larosa, Tahlia McGrath, Courtney Neale, Annie O’Neil, Bridget Patterson, Maddie Penna, Kate Peterson, Megan Schutt, Courtney Webb, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Ella Wilson

Western Australia – Chloe Ainsworth, Charis Bekker, Zoe Britcliffe, Mathilda Carmichael, Piepa Cleary, Maddy Darke, Bhavi Devchand, Amy Edgar, Lisa Griffith, Mikayla Hinkley, Alana King, Shay Manolini, Lilly Mills, Beth Mooney, Taneale Peschel, Chloe Piparo

Queensland Fire – Lily Bassingthwaighte, Bonnie Berry, Lucinda Burke, Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Kira Holmes, Jess Jonassen, Charli Knott, Grace Parsons, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Sippel, Georgia Voll, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Mikayla Wrigley

Australian Capital Territory Meteors – Katie Mack, Alisha Bates, Paris Bowdler, Zoe Cooke, Grace Dignam, Holly Ferling, Angie Genford, Amy Hunter, Carly Leeson, Grace Lyons, Shivani Mehta, Chelsea Moscript, Anesu Mushangwe, Olivia Porter, Gabrielle Sutcliffe, Annie Wikman

Schedule:

–T20 SEASON BREAK–

–CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR BREAK–

Broadcast:

All games of the 2024-25 season will be streamed live and for free for fans in Australia on cricket.com.au and will also be available on Kayo Sports.